Cleveland Heights City Council meeting highlights 4-7-2014

APRIL 7, 2014

  • Public comments
  • Emergency purchases
  • Liquor licenses
  • Nuisance properties
  • Parks and recreation appointment
  • Council proclamations:
  • Community events announced:
  • Recycling news
  • Bonds for city expenditures
  • Public works purchases
  • State Issue 1 for infrastructure funding
  • Zoning board appeals
  • Loose-leaf pickup
  • Crumb rubber infill
  • Michael Benjamin

Council members Mary Dunbar and Jason Stein were absent.

Public comments

Poet Kathleen Cerveny: Mayor Dennis Wilcox recognized Kathleen Cerveny, Cleveland Heights Poet Laureate, who read a poem titled “Forsythia.” Cerveny noted that Cleveland Heights is the only city in Ohio with a poet laureate, and acknowledged the support of Heights Arts.

Thanks for Fair Housing Month: Residents Althea Cheatham, Mayethel White and Leslie Jones represented Heights Community Congress (HCC) in thanking Council Member Jeff Coryell for the resolution, approved by council at the March 17 meeting, that made April 2014 Fair Housing Month in Cleveland Heights. HCC has long been dedicated to that effort and sponsors numerous programs of interest to the community, all of which are detailed online at www.heightscongress.org.

Post office noise: Resident Calvin Lampkin complained of noise from the post office loading dock. Mayor Wilcox expressed his willingness to meet with Lampkin. Resident Diane Hallum expressed disappointment that Lampkin’s issue has not been resolved. She asked additional questions relating to the Board of Zoning Appeals and the Cedar Road Community Reinvestment Area.

Spirit Corner: Resident Laura Marks shared an update on the Spirit Corner project that has turned a vacant lot at the intersection of Cadwell Avenue and Hampshire Road into a park.

Emergency purchases

Council authorized two emergency, time-sensitive purchases:

  1. From Morton Salt, 8,000 tons of salt at $34.40 per ton to replenish the city’s salt dome in preparation for next winter; and
  2. A three-year contract with Duke Power for 0.0652 cents per kilowatt hour to supply power to city facilities The contract will save the city about $100,000 and put all city facilities on a fixed rate.

Liquor licenses

An application has been made by Good Times at GTS LLC of Centerville, Ohio to transfer a permit to Hill Top Lounge LLC at 2221 Noble Road, Cleveland Heights, 44112 under the TREX process, which allows surplus liquor licenses to transfer from one community to another.

Nuisance properties

Council declared four properties to be nuisances and authorized abatement (razing, cleanup and asbestos survey) at a cost of $15,500 each. The properties are:

  • 991 Elbon Road
  • 1039 Nelaview Road
  • 3540 Nordway Road
  • 3452 Silsby Road

Parks and recreation appointment

Council approved the appointment of Peter Titus to the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board to fill a vacancy and begin a four-year term, effective March 31, 2014.

Council proclamations:

  • April 13–19 as National Library Week in the City of Cleveland Heights.
  • April 2014 as National Poetry Month in the City of Cleveland Heights.
  • April 21–26 as National Community Development Week in the City of Cleveland Heights. This recognizes the 40th anniversary of the federal Community Development Block Grant program (CDBG), from which the city has benefited greatly, and the city’s participation in HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME) program, another benefit to the community and its low- and moderate-income residents.

Community events announced:

  • Tuesday, April 8: a lecture at 7 p.m. by historian Mark Souther on the The History of Grant Deming's Forest Hill Neighborhood at Grace Lutheran Church, 13001 Cedar Road.
  • Friday, April 11: “Pestival” at the Nature Center at Shaker Lakes (www.shakerlakes.org).
  • Saturday, April 12: Annual Spring Egg Hunt at 10 a.m. in the Forest Hill Park Meadow.
  • Wednesday, April 23: Earth Day 5K Run/Walk at Forest Hill Park at 6:45 p.m. This event is a fundraiser for the Youth Scholarship Fund.
     

Recycling news

Residents may now include telephone books with other recyclables for pick up on their regular collection day.

In a few weeks, a container will placed in the Community Center parking lot for the collection of Styrofoam containers. Only expanded polystyrene (EPS 6) Styrofoam will be permitted. Also, Styrofoam contaminated with food or beverages cannot be accepted. The container will list this information. The Styrofoam will be picked up and recycled by Buckeye Industries, which provides employment for people with disabilities.

Bonds for city expenditures

Council approved the issuance and sale of bonds to pay for city equipment and improvements throughout the city. The planned expenditures and bond amounts are:

  • For the acquisition of motor vehicles and equipment for use by the city’s public works department: $950,000.
  • For improvements to the Cedar Lee and Cedar Fairmount Districts, including sidewalks, stormwater management, landscaping, curbing and pavement, lighting, signage, seating, trash receptacles, bike racks, and other streetscape amenities: $595,000.
  • For resurfacing and other improvements to city surface parking areas: $600,000.
  • For the acquisition and installation of computer hardware, software and related equipment needed for the city’s management and administrative functions: $225,000.
  • For the acquisition of motor vehicles for use by the police department: $220,000.
  • For the installation of traffic signalization and security cameras: $175,000.
  • For the construction and installation of new HVAC systems in the city’s fire station facilities: $130,000.
  • For improvements to the city’s Lennox/Surrey parking deck: $105,000.
  • For renovation and other improvements of the city hall complex: $95,000.
  • For renovation and other improvements of the city’s solid waste transfer station: $55,000.

Public works purchases

Council approved the following purchases for the public works department:

  • From Concord Road Equipment Mfg. Inc., a dump body/plow package to install on a previously purchased truck cab and chassis, at a cost not exceed $68,410.11.
  • From Rush Truck Center, a plow truck, at a cost not exceed $81,621.

Council amended a resolution for a previous purchase to reflect the name change of Miami Valley International Trucks to Rush Truck Center.

State Issue 1 for infrastructure funding

Council declared its support for State Issue 1, which will be on the May 6 primary election ballot. The measure is important to cities throughout the state and, if passed, would obligate the Ohio General Assembly to keep budgeting for infrastructure projects.

Zoning board appeals

Council granted zoning code variances to:

  • David and Ann Lavelle, 3012 Fairmount Blvd., to permit a front-yard curved driveway with two curb cuts.
  • Cleveland Heights-University Heights City School District for the Heights High football field, 13263 Cedar Road, to permit elimination of four parking spaces and to permit installation of four 100-foot-tall light poles.

Loose-leaf pickup

Pickup of loose leaves will continue through the month of April.

Crumb rubber infill

Testing on the crumb rubber infill used at the Dennison soccer field has been completed, and no lead was detected.

Michael Benjamin

Mayor Wilcox recognized Michael Benjamin’s many years of leadership and service to the city as a member of the Landmark Commission, the Architectural Board of Review and, most recently, the Board of Zoning Appeals, from which he is stepping down.

LWV Observer: Katherine Solender.

These meeting summaries are abstracted from LWV observers’ written reports. The summaries have been edited and prepared by Anne McFarland, Charlene Morse, and Maryann Barnes. To receive e-mail postings of full reports, send an e-mail to mbarnes9515@gmail.com or join through Google groups using “lwv-chuh observer reports” as a search phrase.

These reports contain member observation and selected highlights of public meetings and are not official statements of the Heights Chapter of the League of Women Voters Cuyahoga Area. This disclaimer must accompany any redistribution of these reports.

Read More on Cleveland Heights
Volume 7, Issue 5, Posted 6:40 PM, 04.16.2014